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7 reviews

I highly recommend this product

posted 7 years ago

I've used these bottles for over 40 years for my birds. Birds have a tendancy to deficate in their water or create a messy bacterial soup by putting or dunking their food in their water dishes.

They only had the 32 ounce size years ago but now there is a 16 ounce size that I use now. Lixit also makes an 8 ounce for birds which I use for the smaller birds.

At first must put the bottle above the existing water dish just high enough for the tube to touch their head so they take notice of it and maybe cause a drop to drip on their heads. Once you are sure your bird is using the bottle you can remove the dish.

Some birds may be afraid of the bottle and need to be introduced slowly at a distance bringing closer to view over time before you can attach it to their cage.

Birds actually like to play with the water in the beginning so can flood their cages. They also like to take showers by pushing the ball in as well as soak their food by putting it under the tube and letting the water drip on it if you have a food dunker.

Some also plug it up with pieces of food or paper. So it's important to make sure the tube is not blocked. Some people feel that being clean they don't have to change it every day but it's important that you do. Especially if you put supplements in your water as bacteria will grow and if you have a bird that dunks or birds like pigeons that put their beak into the tube and suck; the back flow will have some small particles that will contaminate the water. Yes it could stay fresh for two days at most but it's easy to forget to check that the water is flowing or hasn't been emptied. Sometimes you could forget and go an extra day and all of a sudden you have a dehydrated, sick bird. Better safe than sorry.

They must be throughly cleaned with dish soap and water then rinsed well. I soak in bleach once a month. Don't forget to use a tube brush to clean the tube out as it will build up with gunk if you dont. Usually you can buy the needed bottle and tube brushes where you buy the bottles.

Make sure you put the hardware on right or your bird will work the wire holder up and the bottle will fall and break. The notched part of the brace where the wire sits should be facing down. You will need to squeaze both sides of the wire to be able to lift it up. If it goes up without squeazing it's not on right.

If you do break the glass bottle you can get a replacement as well as the tube, rubber and metal hardware.

A little note here about my African Grey Emily. We were doing a taping for our local Bird club's cable TV show and of course being under the lights she got thirsty. I forgot her bottle and she had never drank from a dish as I hand raised her and she never had water in a dish.

I offered her water and she kept putting her beak in and expecting the water to come up into her beak as with the tube of the water bottle it flows into the mouth and then they swallow it. So she didn't realize she had to scoop up the water into her beak. It was kind of funny and sad at the same time. Good thing I brought cucumber wedges with me. Saved the day.

All and all even with the birds that empty, shower and plug up the tube these bottles give you peace of mind that your birds are drinking uncontaminated, clean water and they prevent diseases caused by their messy habits with water dishes.

Pros: Keeps water fresh, clean and available. No more spilled water dishes or birdy soup. I believe water should always be offered in glass utensils and this fits the bill.

Cons: Glass is fragile. They can leak or be emptied by your pet. They can be stuffed with dibree and clogged.

I introduced this food to my two cats, one is a senior at 13 years and the other is about 7 years. Both females. The 7 year old is a new addition, recently adopted :) Because of their age differenc… more ›